Milan vice-president Adriano Galliani insists Chelsea have no hope of signing Andrea Pirlo this summer.
The 30-year-old Italy midfielder has been strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge following Carlo Ancelotti’s departure but there is confusion about his intentions, with the player denying making comments that he was keen on the switch this week.
And any hope of the deal going through now appears to have ended as Galliani says Pirlo is not for sale.
“We have not received any offers for him, but if we did we would return them to the sender,” he told the Italian press.
“He will remain at Milan – 99.99 percent.”
Meanwhile, Milan are currently looking to bolster their attack with a centre forward and had been keen to bring in Wolsfburg’s Edin Dzeko.
However, Galliani is now concerned that the deal may not go through and says the club may have to look elsewhere.
“Dzeko is a great striker, but Wolfsburg do not want to sell him for the moment,” he said.
“We hope to bring him in, but if not we will find someone else.
“It is difficult for anyone to keep a player who is not happy, and that is a rule that applies to everyone in the market.”
Asked whether Giuseppe Rossi could be an option, he added: “He is a great striker, but we have two attackers in Pato and Ronaldinho and we are currently looking for what was once called the classic centre forward.”